Our History

Founded in 2005 by professional storyteller, Luke Renner, Fireside International was born out of a deep love of storytelling and an unquenchable desire to see storytelling do more than merely entertain.

At first I couldn’t put my finger on it… the power that storytelling had over me… but the truth of its grip was undeniable. As a child I was constantly running around with a video camera or special prop or script idea, really working incredibly hard in service of some innate need to tell stories. As I grew up, I slowly began to understand that my inexplicable need was not unique to me and that, if properly understood, story is not some passive hobby that we can choose to take or leave. I began to realize that storytelling is the very essence of how humans learn and grow. When that became clear, my desire to work with story became much more intentional, as a musician might work with an instrument to make music. Eventually this led me to start Fireside International, an organization that exists to allow others the opportunity to wrap their fingers around the intoxicating power of storytelling and use it to affect positive change in their world.

– Luke Renner

Today Fireside International is a group of dedicated people from a wide range of personal and professional experience, all coming together to leverage the power of storytelling for the benefit of humankind.